Nixon names former lawmaker to state probation board

JEFFERSON CITY — A former Democratic House member has been appointed to the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole.

Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday tapped 53-year-old Martin Rucker, of St. Joseph, for a spot on the state board responsible for determining whether prison inmates should be paroled. The board also supervises people on probation. The appointment requires Senate confirmation, and Rucker's term would expire in 2016.

Rucker was first elected to the Missouri House in 2004 and served three terms. This past November, he lost an election for the state Senate.

Rucker had been the chairman of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus and works for Silgan Containers Corp. in St. Joseph.